Hell Is What You Make It
by bookw0rmy
Summary: If there's one thing that Nico hates it's sulfur. Dean looks at the kid in front of him and wonders why he seems so familiar. Who is he kidding? He knows.
1. In Which Nico Thinks Dean Is Weird

**A/N: I own neither of these things or any of the characters, but I love Nico with every fiber of my being. Not beta'd, but I proofread it to the best of my abilities at the moment. SPOILERS FOR SEASON 9 FINALE AND HOUSE OF HADES.**

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If there was one thing Nico hated about shadow traveling it was the smell of sulfur that hung in the air. When he shadow traveled the the smell of sulfur lingered in his nose for days, but how else was he supposed to freaking travel when his Dad summoned him while he was in the middle of conversations or peeing. He just wanted to pee in peace. The shadows melted back to their original state and Nico walked up the long hallway that would lead to the doors that would reveal his father on the other side. The guy was probably sitting on his throne torturing something and/or someone or listening to some AC/DC, what else would the ruler of the Underworld do? Nico pushed open the heavy black doors and knelt waiting for the signal of acknowledgment. Why did his dad have to insist on this?

"Hello, Nico," came the gravely voice. Nico's cue to look up, however when he did he saw that he was not alone with his father and there sure was not music playing or screams of the helpless. There was, however, a man with a long black coat, kind of stout, staring intently at Nico and a man who was, well handsome if Nico had to say something about it. His hair was short, but not too short. He looked confused, yet angry, eyes flashing from black to deep green. Nico looked at his father who in turn was looking at the confused/angry man with his own set of mixed emotions.

"What is this?" Nico gestured to the two men not hiding his disdain for being summoned. His father sighed and put his chin in his hand, leaning on the armrest of the throne. The grim faces that were tethered to his father's robe shifted along with him, but instead of their usual tortured expressions they seemed to want to inch closer to the green eyed man to seek comfort.

"Sir, I did not believe that this would happen. I did not know. There were only rumors." The stout man stammered in an accent. This was strange. Nico had seen this man around. Hades favorite that wasn't immortal. Although, Nico didn't see why, but at the same time he didn't even want to know. He did know that this man was the King of the sector called Hell in the Underworld. He was newish and had modeled his new kingdom after the Fields of Punishment in a way. The old king was locked away, something about another prophecy coming about. Nico wasn't too interested in others prophecies. He had just got out of one and sucked into another.

"Crowley, I'll deal with you later. Nico, as for you, I need you to show Dean around." Hades instructed looking determined to not have questions asked. Nico didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't going to give a tour of the Underworld to some stranger that looked like he could go on a murderous rampage at any moment without getting some answers.

"Father, please, would you enlighten me a bit first." Nico raised his eyebrows and looked at the one named Dean. His father also turned his gaze to Dean seeming to get Nico's hesitation and agreeing of the danger at hand. That was never a good sign.

"This is Dean, Nico. He is very important and he should not be here, nor do we want him here, yet here he is. Do you remember when the Underworld was broken into and everyone was on full alert?" Nico did remember. His father was furious speaking of angels and how they thought they could do whatever they wanted just because they got to live in the heavens. Hades continued, "This is the righteous man."

Nico's eyes widened to their very extremes. He had heard of the righteous man. The man who was so very human and good that he had angels come and put their lives on the line to get him out of the Underworld. However, all he had seen was a flash of light and he had woken up and everything had been back to normal, except his father who said that next time HE was down here he wanted to know right away, no exceptions. Nico guessed this was next time.

Nico nodded and looked at the green eyed man who had been listening intently, seeming to forget his state of confusion, and was staring at Nico with a strange look as if Nico should recognize him. Nico moved to shake hands with the man, but pulled back. He was not really worthy to touch such a great man. A man who represented all that was good in the world and man who Nico fought alongside his fellow demigods to keep safe. A man touched by the Gods himself. He frowned at the fact that Dean seemed to be touched by something so evil that it had corrupted the pureness of his soul and turned him into this creature. Although, by the looks of it Dean's humanity was not going to be extinguished so easily. He instantly thought back to the blue eyed boy from camp. Nico remembered praying that Percy would be alright and trying to channel all his strength into his friend while he bathed in the river Styx. Dean had the same pure good presence surrounding him that Nico couldn't pull himself away from, so with no real choice Nico sighed, "Come then Dean," He looked at the man again and added, "Please." Dean squinted his eyes and smirked the smallest of smirks and followed.

Nico walked ahead of Dean for a few minutes and then realized a tour would require talking, so he slowed his pace and walked along side Dean. He first showed Dean the castle of his father's and all of its so called glory. When they walked by the kitchens he figured he could ask Dean if he wanted some food, not all of the food was cursed and Hades did have some really excellent cooks. "Dean, would you like to eat?" The eyes he met switched from green to black questioning him. Dean had said almost nothing the whole tour except to ask Nico, "How do you know him?" Nico said that Hades was his father, but Dean shook his head and said nothing else.

Dean now looked on with black eyes and squinted again staring at him and Nico looked back not breaking eye contact looking for the answer or some sort of hint to what the man was thinking. Dean's face softened after a few seconds and chuckled, "You have to know him," Nico shrugged; obviously the man was delusional because of course he knows Hades. "Am I able to eat? I mean and it actually not taste like shit." Dean continued. Nico nodded and walked him into the kitchen. He walked over the oversized refrigerator sifting through the God food and to the human food. He didn't want any of that and he didn't want to feed Dean any of that either. He rang the bell that was on one of the counters and a chef appeared. She was not very tall, with short hair, and was a little on the chubby side. "Two cheeseburgers and dessert. My favorite, please, Eliza. One root beer and," Nico glanced at Dean who was smirking again. This guy was so weird. "a beer for my friend here." Nico continued.

He led Dean to the tables outside of the kitchen and motioned for him to sit. "How did you know what I wanted?" Dean asked. Nico shrugged, again, "Who doesn't like burgers?" Dean laughed at this and Nico added this to another of Dean's weird traits, but who was Nico to judge? The boy of Nico's affections liked blue cake. He smiled to himself and Dean looked at him and stopped laughing immediately as if seeing someone. Nico looked behind him, but there was no one. Eliza brought out their food and drinks. They ate in silence. Dean looking at Nico strangely. Nico ate slowly tapping the beat to one of his favorite songs and Dean gave him that weird look again. Eliza returned with dessert. Apple pie. Dean's smile reached each of his ears.

Dean leaned back having his fill of food. "Glad to know that even as freaking demon I can eat pie."

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**A/N: This actually was supposed to be way lo****nger, but I mean will anyone read this or like it? I might just write the rest in my journal. Thoughts? Thank you for reading! ~D**


	2. Family Is Deeper Than Blood

Chapter 2

Dean looked at the boy in front of him. He wasn't a dream, but he still didn't know who he was. Sure, he knew the guys name, but what does that really say about someone? Dean had known many names of normal looking people that had turned into supernatural creatures that wanted to kill him and Sammy.

The boy seemed to elude a sense of darkness, like Death had. He was pale with bags under his eyes that were obviously not supposed to be there. His mouth had the same lines Dean had seen so often in the mirror. The lines of loss, pain, and emotions that were often bubbling so fierce below the surface of his skin waiting to burst out and demand to be felt. Yeah, Dean knew about feelings and what they do to a person if they are ignored, but it didn't matter at the moment, so they could wait. What mattered at the moment was why the hell was this boy showing him around? And why was this food so god damn good?

"Nico, where exactly are we?"

The boy looked at him, mouth slightly open and squinted. Dean sucked in his breath as images of a man, no angel he corrected himself, with eyes too blue filled his mind.

"My dad's kitchen," Nico replied calmly. Dean squinted back, eyes dark as obsidian.

"The Underworld." Nico answered truthfully. Dean's mind must have been shorted out at some point then because he swore he heard the boy say the Underworld.

"Like the one with…Hades?" Dean muttered while turning his head to really look at the surroundings around him for once.

There was no way that this was THE Underworld. After all, he had been to Hell before.

Nico nodded, "The Underworld is everything. Hell is just one part of the Underworld."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Dean asked.

"I was here when you were rescued."

Dean eyes flashed black and gaped at the boy in front of him. Nico had seen it? Dean couldn't even remember it. That didn't seem fair, but then again when was Dean's life ever fair. Nico had seen Castiel rescue him. Dean wondered if Nico had seen Castiel. Could he even look at Castiel when he was in angel mode? Probably not.

Dean got up from table and rubbed the back of his neck. Why was he here? Was he never going to see Sammy again? …Cas? Dean felt the emotions bubble up again and honestly he didn't try too hard to press them down. Nico must have sensed his distress coming off of him because the boy had followed him away from the table and placed his pale bony hand on Dean's shoulder and Dean couldn't help but notice that Nico looked more dead then he did.

"Dean, I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, but I know everything will work out for you."

The green eyed man turned to meet brown ones and the boy looked like he so wanted to make sure that Dean knew that he believed him. Nico looked at him with eyes of admiration and sadness. It was like a weird déjà vu or something because Dean knew he had had this look bestowed upon him time and time again except with blue eyes and not brown.

"Show me the rest of the place, man." Dean forced out.

Dean walked on with Nico until the boy finally turned to him and said he had nothing else to show him and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next, so he said he was just going to take Dean to the bedrooms until they were summoned.

"What do you mean 'until we're summoned'?" Dean angrily asked.

He didn't really like the idea of someone getting to decide where and when he was able to do things, but he was dead or something of the like so he guessed there was nothing else really to do, for now until he learned more about this place and more importantly how to get out.

"I don't know. They made me come here when you got here, so I know less than you do." Nico replied with genuine frustration.

They were in Nico's bedroom and he was sprawled on his bed fidgeting with some figurine. He had taken off his coat and looked a little more relaxed, but only just. The room wasn't dirty, but it did have lots of trinkets that it seemed Nico collected. There were seashells, pictures of the ocean, one poster for a band called My Chemical Romance, and loads of other stuff.

"Nico, what's that thing you got there?"

"A gift. Something I like."

"From your girlfriend? And all this stuff...Things you like?"

Dean tried a joke to see if the boy took everything so serious. Not once today had he heard Nico make a joke or anything of the like.

"Something along those lines."

The green eyed man raised his eyebrows and glanced at the pictures of the sea and its' shells. These things didn't seem like things Nico would like for himself. Something clicked into place and he realized what the boy had said or what he hadn't.

"Ooooooooh. Whoever gave you that figurine these things are for!" Dean exclaimed suddenly super proud of himself.

Truth was sometimes he would collect feathers and wonder if Castiel's wings were of the same likeness. He figured none of them would compare and he was too embarrassed about it to ask Cas. Nico visibly blushed at the statement and Dean knew that he was right.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Dean hoped to get the boy talking out of sheer boredom and a hint of curiosity on what this girl was like that had spiked death boy's interest over here.

Dean saw Nico put his head down on his arm.

"Can we talk about anything else?" Nico questioned hope shining clear in his eyes. Dean figured the boy just needed to feel a little bit comfortable, so he decided why the fuck not share something with the kid.

"Nah. You know, I collect feathers cause they remind me of my friend."

"Is your friend a bird?"

"Something like that." Dean smirked knowing the boy would get it.

Nico sighed and picked himself up off the bed. Dean made a beeline to take his place as Nico went and sat on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Dude, that's not even a little creepy."

"Never said I wasn't a creepy dude."

"I collect things of the ocean and of the color blue for my friend."

"Dude, that's not even a little creepy," Dean looked Nico in the eyes with amusement and Nico locked eyes with Dean with a sense of familiarity. "Kidding, man. You are like my friend, though. You guys would be friends in no time."

"I highly doubt that. Although, you do remind me of my…friend also."

"Is your friend as pretty as me?"

"I prefer the term handsome." Dean's eyes widened and Nico seemed to notice his mistake at the same time. "I m-m-mean pretty is fine." Dean chuckled and whistled a high sound.

"Makes no difference to me." He winked and Nico blanched.

Shortly after, so did Dean. If Nico collected things for his friend that he liked and Dean did the same…did that mean that Dean…Nah. Nico decided that he wanted to sleep, so he laid on the floor with a blanket while Dean laid on the bed knowing that sleep would not come to him even if he was a human still. His thoughts were of home and Castiel. He wondered if all this time he had been bottling up his feelings for Cas. Dean didn't think so. Cas was like family, like Sam, but at the same time Dean knew that it wasn't the same. The blue eyed angel was not like Sam. There was the obvious difference that they weren't blood, but family doesn't only stop at blood. Dean had learned that the hard way. Cas was different from Bobby, Ellen, and Jo as well. He was more, but at the same time equal.

Anyway, how the fuck was Dean supposed to know what he felt? He had been through Hell, literally, Purgatory, and the freakin' apocalypse. Why couldn't he figure out on what the hell he was feeling? Dean's thoughts kept him awake until he fell into sleep like state, not sleep but a mere blank resting. He still didn't know if he was going home, what exactly was happening, or what the fuck he was feeling, but he did know that the sleeping boy next to him probably hadn't slept in a while, yet here he was sound asleep. He also knew that he needed to Castiel and the rest of his family again and he would.


End file.
